New Zealand treats nursing more generously than most Green List occupations — every specialty sits in the highest tier — but it holds one requirement firmly in place. The clinical exam that finishes your registration file has to be sat in person, in Christchurch. Here is what that means from Dubai or Abu Dhabi, as at September 2026.
At a glance
- Nurse Practitioner, every Registered Nurse specialty and Enrolled Nurse all sit in Tier 1 (Straight to Residence) of the Green List; the listed requirement is simply Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ) registration.
- Nursing has no occupation-specific wage line, so the applicable pay floor is the current median wage, NZD $35.00 an hour.
- NCNZ accepts OET (350 in Reading, Listening, Speaking; 300 in Writing) or IELTS Academic (band 7 in Reading, Listening, Speaking; 6.5 in Writing) — not a flat “IELTS 7”. The UAE is not on NCNZ’s alternate-evidence country list, so plan to sit a test.
- The theory exam can be sat from the UAE via Pearson VUE; the clinical OSCE cannot — it is offered only at the Nurse Maude Simulation Centre in Christchurch.
- Straight to Residence costs from NZD $6,450 (80% within 3 months, indefinite stay, age cap 55); the Accredited Employer Work Visa costs from NZD $1,540 (80% within 8 weeks, stay up to 5 years).
Where nursing sits on New Zealand’s Green List
New Zealand’s Green List splits every occupation into two tiers, and the tier decides whether you can apply for residence straight away or have to work in New Zealand for two years first. Nursing sits in the tier that skips the wait: Nurse Practitioner, every listed Registered Nurse specialty — aged care, child and family health, community health, critical care and emergency, developmental disability, disability and rehabilitation, medical, medical practice, mental health, perioperative, surgical, paediatrics, and the general “nec” category — and Enrolled Nurse are all Tier 1.
What makes nursing unusual among Tier 1 occupations is what the list asks for in return. Some Tier 1 roles carry an explicit elevated hourly rate. Nursing does not. The requirement listed against every nursing occupation is simply registration with the Nursing Council of New Zealand, built around a Bachelor of Nursing (or equivalent) for Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners.
The pay floor: what NCNZ nurses actually need to earn
Because nursing has no occupation-specific rate on the Green List, the pay floor that applies is the ordinary median wage — currently NZD $35.00 an hour, effective from 31 October 2025 and still current. A Straight to Residence job offer in nursing needs to meet this rate, be full-time (at least 30 hours a week), and be permanent, fixed-term for at least 12 months, or a rolling contract of at least 6 months.
We flag this because nurse pay-floor figures circulating online are often wrong, sometimes borrowed from an unrelated Immigration New Zealand policy that applies to non-Green-List jobs. The number that governs a nursing Straight to Residence application is the current median wage — nothing higher, nothing occupation-specific.
NCNZ registration: the gate that actually decides your timeline
NCNZ registration is the real gate, and it does not start with Immigration New Zealand. Applicants first submit identity, qualification and registration documents to TruMerit, NCNZ’s sole accredited verification provider ($380 USD). Only once TruMerit has verified the file can a nurse submit the registration application to NCNZ ($485 NZD) — there is no route to NCNZ that skips TruMerit.
NCNZ also requires at least 1,800 hours of post-registration practice before you apply — nurses with none cannot apply at all, and applying to TruMerit too early only delays the file. NCNZ also wants your full 10-year registration history and a qualification equivalent to the New Zealand standard: Bachelor of Nursing (or a Master’s leading to registration) for Registered Nurses, Diploma in Enrolled Nursing (or comparable) for Enrolled Nurses. Our credential verification page covers how this kind of overseas document check works.
English requirements: OET or IELTS, and the split that trips people up
NCNZ’s English standard is not the flat “IELTS 7” figure repeated across many nurse migration articles. OET requires a minimum of 350 in Reading, Listening and Speaking, and 300 in Writing. IELTS Academic requires band 7 in those same three skills, but only 6.5 in Writing. Every required score must be reached within 12 months of your first sitting, and all sittings must fall within the 3 years before you apply. NCNZ does not accept PTE or fully online computer-based versions — sittings need an approved, in-person centre.
NCNZ will, at its discretion, waive the test only for nurses whose nursing education was taught and examined in English in the UK, Ireland, Singapore, Canada or the USA, or who hold current registration in the UK, Ireland, Canada or the USA that itself required an English test. The UAE is not on that list, so plan on sitting OET or IELTS Academic. One piece of good news: the Accredited Employer Work Visa’s own English requirement applies only to skill level 3–5 jobs, and nursing sits at skill level 1–2, so INZ does not test English separately for the visa — NCNZ registration is the gate that matters.
The competence assessment: a theory exam from Dubai, an OSCE only in Christchurch
NCNZ decides, after reviewing your TruMerit-verified file, whether you need a competence assessment — the two-part exam system that replaced the older course-based CAP process for new applicants from 4 December 2023. Enrolled Nurses always sit it; Registered Nurses educated in the UK, Ireland, Ontario, British Columbia, Singapore or the USA may be exempted case by case. UAE-trained nurses are not on that list and should expect to sit it.
Part one is a Pearson VUE theory exam, and it can be sat from the UAE: Registered Nurses answer 120 multiple-choice questions in 165 minutes (a 12-question medication safety section and a 108-question nursing knowledge section); Enrolled Nurses sit a shorter 90-question, 135-minute version. Up to three attempts are allowed, and failing only one part means re-sitting only that part.
Part two cannot be done remotely. Every candidate attends a mandatory two-day orientation course at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, then sits the OSCE — the clinical exam — at the Nurse Maude Simulation and Assessment Centre, the only NCNZ-accredited OSCE venue in the country. Registered Nurses complete 10 stations, Enrolled Nurses complete 8, each running 12 minutes, with up to two re-sits allowed.
| Step | Who runs it | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Document verification | TruMerit | $380 USD |
| Registration application | NCNZ | $485 NZD |
| Criminal history check (per country lived in 12+ months, last 7 years) | Fit2Work | $155 AUD |
| Theory exam (Pearson VUE, sit from the UAE) | NCNZ competence assessment | $140 NZD |
| Orientation course (2 days, Christchurch) | University of Canterbury | $500 NZD |
| OSCE (Christchurch, in person only) | Nurse Maude Simulation Centre | $3,000 NZD |
Add the free “Welcome to Aotearoa New Zealand” online orientation that almost every applicant must complete, and a realistic total for the NCNZ pathway runs to roughly NZD $4,100–4,500 or more, before any visa fee. That range is our own estimate built from the fees above, not a single official combined figure — confirm current fees directly with TruMerit and NCNZ before you budget.
Two routes to New Zealand: AEWV or Straight to Residence
| Accredited Employer Work Visa | Straight to Residence Visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | From NZD $1,540 | From NZD $6,450 |
| Processing | 80% within 8 weeks | 80% within 3 months |
| Length of stay | Up to 5 years (skill level 1–2, covers nursing) | Indefinite — a resident visa |
| Core requirement | Job offer from an INZ-accredited employer, Job Check passed | Tier 1 job/offer, NCNZ registration, at least $35.00/hr, aged 55 or under |
Most nurses we talk to in Dubai use the AEWV first, because it needs only a job offer and processes faster, then move to Straight to Residence once registration and the job both meet the Tier 1 criteria. Nurses who already hold NCNZ registration and a qualifying offer can also apply for Straight to Residence directly. See our New Zealand working visa page for how the AEWV works more broadly, or our New Zealand skilled migration page for the points-based route.
From the UAE: what this means for you
What can be done from here. TruMerit document submission, the NCNZ application, the OET or IELTS Academic sitting, and the Pearson VUE theory exam can all be completed without leaving Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
What cannot. The orientation course and the OSCE are Christchurch-only. Book flights and leave for the two-day course plus the exam, and budget for accommodation — there is no remote alternative for either.
A realistic sequence (our own synthesis, not a government-published timeline — no official page states an end-to-end number of weeks or months): TruMerit verification; NCNZ’s decision on the competence assessment; the theory exam from the UAE; travel to Christchurch for the orientation course and OSCE; NCNZ registration; a job offer from an accredited employer; then the AEWV or Straight to Residence Visa. Read more on our New Zealand overview page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I finish NCNZ registration without ever travelling to New Zealand?
No. The theory exam and document steps can be done from the UAE, but the OSCE must be sat in person at the Nurse Maude Simulation Centre in Christchurch, after a mandatory two-day orientation course in the same city — neither has a remote alternative.
Do I need a higher English score because I’m a nurse?
No, but the numbers are specific to NCNZ, not the visa: OET 350/350/350/300 or IELTS Academic 7/7/7/6.5, not a flat “IELTS 7” — and since the UAE is not on NCNZ’s alternate-evidence country list, plan to sit the test.
Is nursing pay held to a higher rate than other Green List Tier 1 roles?
No. Nursing has no occupation-specific wage line, so the floor is simply the current median wage, NZD $35.00 an hour — the same baseline used for other Tier 1 occupations without a named rate.
What to do next
If you are weighing New Zealand against the Canada and Australia nursing pathways we have written about, start with a free eligibility assessment, call our Dubai office on 04 357 7796, or book a 20-minute review through our contact page. We will help you map your specialty to the right Green List occupation and plan the Christchurch trip into your timeline. We do not promise outcomes; NCNZ and Immigration New Zealand decide every registration and visa application on the evidence provided.
Sources
- Operations Manual, Appendix 13 – Green List — Immigration New Zealand — accessed 1 Sep 2026
- Straight to Residence Visa — Immigration New Zealand — accessed 1 Sep 2026
- Wage rates for work visas — Immigration New Zealand — accessed 1 Sep 2026
- Accredited Employer Work Visa — Immigration New Zealand — accessed 1 Sep 2026
- IQN requirements — Nursing Council of New Zealand — accessed 1 Sep 2026
- Registration costs — Nursing Council of New Zealand — accessed 1 Sep 2026
- Competence Assessment Frequently Asked Questions — Nursing Council of New Zealand — accessed 1 Sep 2026
- Registered Nurse Scope of Practice and Prescribed Qualifications Amendment Notice 2023 — New Zealand Gazette — accessed 1 Sep 2026
Not sure which route fits you? Speak to a licensed consultant — CICC (Canada) and MARA (Australia) regulated. No obligation.
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